Huffingtonpost.com: This 12-Song Playlist Celebrates The Glory That Is The Supergroup

Posted: 03/09/2015 12:00 am EDT

7. Tinted Windows

What do you get when you take a dash of Hanson (yes, that Hanson), a sprinkle of Cheap Trick, a tablespoon of Fountains of Wayne, and mix in some Smashing Pumpkins? Tinted Windows is the brainchild of Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger and features Taylor Hanson, Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, Shlesinger, and Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos. The group's sound: unmistakably pop rock.

How did you begin working with Taylor Hanson?I had a recording studio and a record label with Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, and he came up with the idea of Tinted Windows, which was a power-pop side-project band that we did, and that's how I know Taylor. Adam said to me one day, "Do you want to be in a band with Taylor Hanson?" I was like, "Yes." It's so very different than Smashing Pumpkins and A Perfect Circle. Taylor is unbearably nice, a super talented guy, and a great frontman. We had a lot of fun doing that record.

CDM: I absolutely love the Tinted Windows album. 'Dead Serious' is such a jam. Is there going to be another record?TAYLOR: Actually, there is going to be more Tinted Windows stuff. We're working on some writing actually probably next month.

CDM: And then you'll have to come here and play a show! Now, that we've had a Hanson show...TAYLOR: The other guys in Tinted Windows would love to come to New Zealand. It's a really fun project; it's an honour to get to play with those guys. There is some process going on now to make a new album.

David: That project with James Iha and those guys is that still alive?

Taylor: It is yeah... I have a side band it's kind of a Power Pop band..

David: I really dug that. I lost track of where you guys are at.

Taylor: It's really cool, yeah. I have a side project it's called Tinted Windows and it's Power Pop. Power pop is basically like non groovy guitar driven pop songs, so it's a band but it is all guitar and you know. It's James Iha, Bun E. Carlos from Cheap Trick is the drummer, Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne, songwriter/producer who plays bass and guitar. So yeah that's still going. That's one of those things that is a side project kind of for everybody. James plays with A Perfect Circle a lot and Adam has his band with Fountains of Wayne as well as other things.

David: Is it like a holiday for you at times? A musical holiday.

Taylor: It is a creative thing and it was cool, you know when we made the Tinted Windows album it really gave me perspective on what Hanson is and the fact that our soul music and kind of blues and melody is very much a part of the way we write songs and, you know, the harmonies and the scales that we use. When you go and do Tinted Windows that is like so straight ahead. There is like no like swagger. It's all just, you know it's all guitar. So yeah that's cool. And for the fans of our band, with Hanson I mean, I think that it is kind of cool because it lets people see your different influences and things that are floating around, different relationships.

Taylor, James and Adam are writing songs for new Tinted Windows record

Taylor answers question about Tinted Windows during live stream for Hanson fanclub members on June 27th, 2014.

Taylor: "There is not a release date, but we are writing. In fact I was just emailing back and forth with James Iha and Adam Schlesinger about writing songs. The thing about Tinted Windows is, it kind of sits out here almost unattacked, it doesn't have to be released at a certain time. And we have always kind of enjoyed that, when there is a record done, there will be a record and it will come out. We are, what we are doing right now, we are doing writing and working with a lot of different people, so there... it's actually a good time to be working on that music. Hopefully there will be another Tinted Windows...... music."